Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1887-11-27
Scientific Notes.

Experiments are made on PrusSian
railways with axle-boxes fitted with bear
ings Of vegetable parchment in place OF
brass.
Reports from indianapolis are to the
effect that fully 90 per cent. OF the "dug
wells" in the city are becoming exhaust
ed. and many which have been furnish
ing a supply for twenty years have been
deepened. There are two strata OF water
bearing soil under the city.
A safe and ingenious candle-lamp,
burning the gas of petroleum, has
been invented in England. There are
arrangements which render the lamp
perfectly safe. The chorge Of petroleum
is four ounces, and this lasts eight hours.
There are two flames, one Of which pro-
duces the gas and the other consumes It,
A pumping plant for the city OF Mon
treal has been furnished by the Law
renee Machine Company, Massachusetts,,
which is unusually large. There are four
centrifugal pumps, q inches discharglng
opening each, handling $4,000 gallons
per minute, and four 15-inch pumps,
with a combined capacity Of $4,000 gal
Ions per minute. The whole can dis
charge 6,OO0,O gallons per hour.
Professor Leidy, at late meeting OF
the Academy OF Natural Sciences, Phila-
delphia, stated that he had recently re-
ceived from the Geological Survey at
Washington certain fossils from Levy
county, Florida, chiefly consisting OF
the remains of rhinoceros, mastodon,
and llama, also including new species
of horse. for which the name Of Hippo
therium picatile was proposed.
The use of oil by vessels at sea for
soothing the waves in time Of storm APP
pears to be on the point OF very extend
ed and practical application. Sea
breakers appliances for the distribution
of the oil have been patented both at
home and abroad, which are used by all
cattle-carrying steamers and some other
vessels, while n special oil Is now manu-
featured for the purpose.
A furnace for burning garbage and
the refuse of the streets has been on
trial in Chicago lately, with, it Is said,
entirely satisfactory results. There are
two fires built under largo iron-lined
pit with a grating for bottom, aud on
this grating the garbage is dumped.
The top Of the pit is then closed and
the fires lighted. The draft is not al
lowed to ascend through the garbage as
it is consumed. and all organic matter
carried by the smoke is entirely burned
ND before it is discharged from the
chimney. There is no offensive smell.
There are many things around us.
saws the Pr0irie Farmer, OF wonderful
interest to those who are able to under
stand them, and some are very easily
comprehended by almost any person.
Take the following for example: All
know something about the common hard
coal. used TO warm our homes, cook our
food. drive our locomotives and other
machinery. In former numbers OF the
Prairie Farmer we have shown how
this coal cot into the " Earth's Crust
how the peats and bogs OF mil
lions of years ago were buried
and changed into coal how these
peats, or the plants of which they
were formed, came from invisible car
bonic acid floating in the air how the
ancient suns rays separated the carbon
or coal from the oxygen SO that the car
bon was absorbed by the leaves and 10y
means of the sap drawn into the grow
ing plant how these rays reappear as
light when the power produced by coal
evolves electric light ; how the burning
of the coal and coal oil gives out light il
our lamps and fres-in brief, how the
ancient sunlight falling upon the earth
was bottled up in the form of black coal
which was slowed away in our earth's
crust to come into use in this far-oh
time.